Hear more from Leanne on Happiful’s podcast, ‘I am. I have’
Photography | The Leanne Pero Foundation
I’ve realised now that I have to protect myself, because I can’t do the work that I do without taking some time away Leanne was just 30 when she received her diagnosis, and felt completely alone. She couldn’t find resources for Black women living with cancer, let alone young Black women like her, and so she started a support movement. Last year, Black Women Rising developed into a magazine, podcast, and community initiative to support thousands of Black women throughout their cancer journey.
78 | March 2021 | happiful.com
Leanne is rightly proud of all the support BWR has provided, but constant discussions and focus on illness, treatment, and death have had a serious impact on her own mental health. The arrival of extreme burnout, and its manifestations, scared her. “Up until that point, I felt like I was a machine, always on the go,” Leanne says. “Then one day, I just couldn’t get out of bed. I couldn’t move. I was having major
headaches and having to sleep throughout the day. The physical effects of mental exhaustion are real and huge – that’s what people don’t understand. “I’ve had to reinforce personal boundaries, and this has meant limiting regular contact within the cancer community right now,” she explains. “I have to protect myself, because I can’t continue to do the work that I do without taking some time away.” And this time has enabled her to gain a perspective on the organisation, and prompted revelations about the next steps needed to move forward.